Maria Feodorovna (Alma of Castile)

Maria Feodorovna (Russian: Мария Фёдоровна, romanized: Mariya Fyodorovna; 7 June 1100 – 15 May 1157), known before her marriage as Princess Alma of Castile, was a Castilian princess who became the Grand Princess consort of Kiev as spouse of Grand Prince Yaroslav the Wise (reigned 1019–1054). She was the eldest daughter and second child of King Alfonso VIII of Castile (r. 1158 – 1215) and Queen Isabel of England; her siblings included Infante Ferdinand of Minamoto, Queen Nimah of Ireland and many countless other royal princes/princesses. Her eldest son became the last Grand Prince of Minamoto, Grand Prince Ivan I of Minamoto - she lived for two years after Kiev functionaries killed him and his immediate family in 1155.

Appearance and personality
Maria was not known for her beauty. Aleksander Novgorod (one of her eldest sons) said that Maria was "disgustingly ugly" and commented rather unfavorably on her "plumpness of body", "the thin beak-like nose", and the "scared, almost sobbing eyes that drew in sadness from other people." However, Aleksander was known to hold a negative attitude towards his mother, as she was a Spanish princess of Castile and thus a foreign-born princess. Her husband Yuri Dolgorukiy however, was quite taken in by her beauty, describing her as "thin, like a literal matchstick", "a small waist the size of two pennies", and "gentle eyes, which refracted light." Her other sons and daughters were all enthusiastic about her beauty, declaring her to be the prettiest Spanish princess they had ever seen.

Maria was tactful and a ruthless tactican. Her husband described her as a "pouncing tiger, getting ready to strike at the neck of the lovely lamb. A ruthless killer of man."